The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
A door assembly of a vehicle typically includes a door outer structure disposed on the exterior of the vehicle and a door inner structure disposed in the interior of the vehicle. The door outer structure is typically made of sheet metal, and the door inner structure is typically made of plastic. Various components are often mounted to the door inner structure. Examples of these components include a handle, a switch panel for window switches and/or lock switches, a window opening and closing mechanism, and/or speakers.
The door inner structure typically includes an armrest, storage compartments for items such as an umbrella, and cup holders. The storage compartments and the cup holders are often integrally formed with the remainder of the door inner structure using, for example, injection molding. Thus, the storage compartments and the cup holders are typically fixed to the remainder of the door inner structure. In addition, the items placed in the storage compartments or the cup holders are in plain sight of anyone near the vehicle. Thus, the storage compartments and the cup holders are not ideal for storing valuable or fragile items. While some storage compartments have covers or lids, accessing the interior space of these storage compartments is not easy since it involves opening the lids. In addition, the interior spaces and access openings of these storage compartments are relatively small and may be located in regions that are not ergonomically easy to access.